Vermicomposting resources

Books

"The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms with Observations on their Habits" by Charles Darwin, John Murray, London, 1881; Faber and Faber, London, 1945, with an Introduction by Sir Albert Howard; 1976, ISBN 0916302067
A classic of ecology. "All the fertile areas of this planet have at least once passed through the bodies of earthworms." Darwin had a much higher opinion of this book than of his "Origin of Species", which he had to be persuaded to write. He experimented with worms for more than 40 years.

Earthworms are slowly burying Stonehenge, says Darwin: Section through a fallen Druidical stone, showing how much it had sunk (nearly 12")

This is one of his conclusions, following a most elegant series of experiments: "One alternative alone is left, namely, that worms, although standing low in the scale of organization, possess some degree of intelligence." Darwin proved that worms make intelligent choices! This book is a rare delight. From Vermico:
http://www.vermico.com/books.html
Full text online at the Soil and Health Library:
http://www.soilandhealth.org/

"Friend Earthworm: Practical Application of a Lifetime Study of Habits of the Most Important Animal in the World" by George Sheffield Oliver, 1941 -- one of the all-time classics on the earthworm. Dr Oliver was one of the first to harness the earthworm to the needs of the farmer and gardener, making highly fertile topsoil for optimum crop growth, and producing a constant supply of cheap, high-grade, live protein to feed poultry. He devised simple yet elegant and effective systems to bring costs and labour down and productivity up to help struggling farmers make ends meet. Oliver had an observant and critical eye and understood Nature's round. His ideas on the nature of modern food and health (or the lack of it) are only now being confirmed, half a century later. A delightful book. Full text online at the Journey to Forever Small Farms Library. Plus "My Grandfather's Earthworm Farm", "Eve Balfour on Earthworms", "Albert Howard on Earthworms", "The Housefly" by Roy Hartenstein.

"Harnessing the Earthworm" by Dr. Thomas J. Barrett, Humphries, 1947, with an Introduction by Eve Balfour; Wedgewood Press, Boston, 1959; Bookworm Pub Co, ISBN 0916302091
"A practical inquiry into soil building, soil conditions, and plant nutrition through the action of earthworms, with instruction for the intensive propagation and use of domesticated earthworms in biological soil building." Well-researched, well-written, pioneering book on vermicomposting, very positive outlook, a refreshing read. Includes Dr George Sheffield Oliver's famous story "My Grandfather's Earthworm Farm" -- inspiring! Facts, figures and illustrations, details of Barrett's Earthmaster Culture Bed. From Vermico:
http://www.vermico.com/books.html
From City Knowledge.com:
http://www.cityknowledge.com/earthworms/order_form.html

"The Earthworm Book: How to Raise and Use Earthworms for Your Farm and Garden" by Jerry Minnich, Rodale Press, Emmaus, 1977, ISBN 0878571930
Hard to find -- this is Rodale's worm encyclopaedia, a thorough survey of the subject.

"Worms Eat My Garbage" by Mary Appelhof, Flower Press, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1982
A quick, easy read, simple and positive guide to vermicomposting by biologist Mary Appelhof, aka "Worm Woman", who fed her garbage to worms for more than 25 years. The most popular worms book -- more than 165,000 copies sold. From the National Gardening Association's Gardening with Kids Store:
http://www.kidsgardeningstore.com/16-4052.html

"Biology of Earthworms" by C.A. Edwards and J.R. Lofty, 1972, ISBN 0916302202
This is the classic first edition of Dr. Clive Edwards' textbook on the biology and habits of earthworms. "No previous book has attempted to review all aspects of the biology, morphology, physiology, taxonomy, and ecology of earthworms, and we hope that the present volume may help to fill this need." Photos, charts, graphs, tables, and diagrams.
http://www.vermico.com/books.html

"Biology and Ecology of Earthworms" by C.A. Edwards and P.J. Bohlen, Chapman & Hall, 1996, ISBN 0412561603
The third edition of this basic textbook on earthworms reviews all aspects of earthworm biology and ecology; updated throughout with extensive additions. Expanded treatment of earthworm community ecology, interactions between earthworms and microorganisms, and the importance of earthworms in environmental management and their use in organic waste management. 70-page bibliography. Comprehensive. From Vermico:
http://www.vermico.com/books.html

Online resources

Worm Digest -- online articles, worm forum, back issues, library, large selection of books, site search, bins, harvesting, suppliers, product reviews, everything about worms and vermicomposting here.
http://www.wormdigest.org/

Vermicomposting at the excellent Compost Resource Page. The Earthworm FAQ is a must-read (Reprinted from Green Hut):
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/wormfaq.html
The Vermicomposting FORUM -- or several Forums: General Info, Beginners Only, Commercial/Large-Scale, Bin Designs, Education, and an Archives with more than 3,000 messages and a search engine.
http://www.oldgrowth.org/compost/forum_vermi/index.html

Lots of useful and interesting stuff about worms at The Burrow.
http://gnv.fdt.net/~windle/
The best information on bedding -- everything you need to know here: Introduction, Peat Moss, Bog Soil, Newsprint, Machine-Shredded Paper, Cardboard (cardboard's his favourite):
http://gnv.fdt.net/~windle/1bedding.htm

Global worming -- worm composting books, videos, worm bins, red worms, educational resources from "Worm Woman" Mary Appelhof.
http://www.wormwoman.com/

Worms: The New "Bug" For The New Millenium by City Farmer, Canada's Office of Urban Agriculture. "Worms make great pets. They're quiet. And all they do is eat and reproduce all day long." Good introduction to vermicomposting in cities based on City Farmer's years of experience in encouraging and educating citizens of Vancouver. Links to good vermicomposting resources on the web.
http://www.cityfarmer.org/y2kworms.html#y2kworms

City Farmer's QuickTime movie on how to harvest your worm bin
http://www.cityfarmer.org/moviewormharvest.html#movie

"Black Gold" at City Farmer: "In this day and age, you can get overwhelmed by all that is wrong with the world. But we believe in the power of one," says Spring Gillard, one of the wormshop instructors at City Farmer's Compost Demonstration Garden. "One worm eats its own body weight in food every day. By putting a worm bin on your balcony, or under your kitchen sink, you are demonstrating how much one person can do. After all, you're diverting at least a third of your garbage from the landfill. And you're setting an example that can ripple forth into the community."
http://www.cityfarmer.org/blackgold75.html

A huge worms FAQ at Agriculture & Agri-Food Canada's "Frequently Asked Questions About Earthworms" -- more like every imaginable question. Comprehensive.
http://res2.agr.ca/london/pmrc/english/faq/earthwor.html

"An Introduction To Raising Earthworms -- Everything You Wanted To Know About Earthworms But Were Afraid To Ask" Or "How To Make Money Raising Earthworms" -- also What Is A Domesticated Earthworm? -- How to Raise Earthworms -- Construction Of Beds Or Pits -- Earthworms For Soil Improvement, and more.
http://www.cityknowledge.com/earthworms/intro.html

The 45-litre (10-gallon) TigerWormery is made from 100% recycled newspapers and it's porous so excess moisture evaporates. Clean and compact, perfect for apartments. From Recycle Works in England.
http://www.recycleworks.co.uk/pages/
wormery.htm

Composting with Redworms, by Joyce Jimerson, Master Composter/Recycler Program Manager at Washington State University. The solution for apartment dwellers with no space for a compost pile. "Kitchen wastes can be converted to a rich humus with the help of redworms. Children find worms fascinating. They are very well behaved 'pets,' and also help with household chores!" Small-space worm composting in a nutshell.
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Redwormsedit.htm

Cheap and easy worm bin -- simple system for indoors, using two plastic storage boxes. Instructions and photographs, from Cooperative Extension, Washington State University.
http://whatcom.wsu.edu/ag/compost/Easywormbin.htm